Uncle Tan Gading Liberica Coffee Farm Lundu Sarawak ☎️ 019 874 9089

Visited uncle Tan's Liberica coffee plantation at Gunung Gading near to little Lundu Town in Kuching Division of Sarawak.

The plantation on the southeastern foothills of Gunung Gading has about 1,000 Liberica trees.

This plantation is the love project of uncle Tan who is a self taught farmer. His main source of expertise is a community of like minded enthusiasts in Sarawak and exchanges with regional farmers e.g. from Taiwan.

Tan is a sustainability champion. He even makes his own organic fertiliser with fruits and other organic matter.

We can feel uncle Tan's infectious passion for growing Liberica. He is at his plantation every day tending lovingly to his Liberica trees as a happy gardener.

He also has helpers to harvest the fruits and with other daily chores around the plantation.

Liberica fruits.

Liberica only make up ≅ 2% of the world's production of coffee beans which mainly consists of Arabica (≅ 70%), followed by Robusta (≅ 28%), and others.

Liberica plantations tend to be small holdings like uncle Tan's.

Ripe Liberica fruits or cherries.

Took a bite off of a cherry.

The fleshy meat was firm, crunchy chewy, juicy inside like olives. Tastes and smells like lychee. Quite nice actually.

The seeds which will be processed into coffee beans.

The seeds are naturally sun dried.

The sun dried bean.

That's not it yet. You still have to remove the membrane before you reach the inner core which is roasted for coffee.

Uncle Tan sends his beans to a roaster and does them moderate roast. which he sells under his own brand Gunung Gading Liberica Kopi Lundu.

Enjoy coffee together after visiting uncle Tan's plantation.

Fresh Liberica brew with French press.

Liberica has lighter body than Robusta but not weaker on flavours or caffeine kick (based on taste but actually 50% less). Not as bitter as Robusta, nor as citrusy as Arabica. Not as aromatic as Arabica.

Liberica has its own unique taste profile - fruity, smokey, woody with a trailing, lingering fermented fruit kum kum 回甘 aftertaste. Many enjoy Liberica for this kum kum aftertaste. I am a Liberica fan because of this too. It reminds me of the aftertaste of preserved or fermented fruit and berry snacks.